1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a locking device for locking a movable vehicle roof to a vehicle roof receptacle.
2. Background Art
In various applications, a locking device between a movable cover and a receptacle is used to lock the cover to the receptacle. For example, a motor vehicle having an open body includes a roof receptacle and a vehicle roof which is movable relative to the receptacle. The receptacle lies at the height of the vehicle roof plane and surrounds a roof cutout of the vehicle. The roof is movable between a closed position in which the roof lies within the receptacle to thereby cover the vehicle interior and an opened position in which the roof is removed from the receptacle to thereby expose the vehicle interior. The roof moves along the vehicle's longitudinal axis (e.g., in a direction between the front and rear vehicle ends) when moving between the closed and opened positions. The receptacle includes a side edge at each of the two vehicle sides, a front edge adjacent the windshield frame at the front of the vehicle, and a rear edge adjacent a rear frame at the rear of the vehicle. Similarly, the roof includes two side edges, a front edge, and a rear edge. The receptacle side edges and the roof side edges run along the vehicle's longitudinal axis. In the closed position, the roof side edges respectively meet along their length with the receptacle side edges, the roof front edge meets with the receptacle front edge, and the roof rear edge meets with the receptacle rear edge.
Each receptacle side edge includes a guide such as a guide rail. The guide rails run along the vehicle longitudinal direction. The guide rails slidably guide the roof along the vehicle's longitudinal direction when the roof is moving between the closed and opened positions. The guide rails cover guide parts engaged into them as described by EP 1 331 120 A1.
Roof pillars along the vehicle sides form the longitudinally extending receptacle side edges. The roof pillars lie above the side glass facades of the vehicle. The roof pillars are fixed to the vehicle body and form the upper boundary of the vehicle sides.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,536,354 describes an open body vehicle having a roof. A kinematic linkage moves the roof between the closed and opened positions. The roof includes a fixed rear roof cover and an adjustable front roof cover. The roof covers bridge the side roof pillars of the vehicle. The front roof cover can be adjusted through a kinematic linkage toward the vehicle rear such that the front roof cover overlays the rear roof cover when the roof is in the opened position.
DE 103 20 171 B4 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,913,307) describes a roof having roof covers connected to one another through kinematic linkages. The roof covers stack upon one another while maintaining their orientation during movement of the roof into the opened position. In the opened position, the roof covers can be retracted as a roof cover stack into a rear overhead storage position lying in the vehicle's floor region.
Although the kinematic linkages can achieve sufficient support for a link-guided roof in the closed position, the corresponding support stability involves a greater expense compared with guide rails for the roof. However, guides rails have a relatively high expense if they are to have rattle-free characteristics as this presumes that the guide rails have a corresponding torsion-resistant body.